Dostana

Dostana is a lot of fun, specially in the first half, all thanks to Abhishek's wonderful comic timing, and a brilliantly conceived "gay fantasy love story" between Abhishek and John. Priyanks Chopra looks stunning, and there's plenty of eye candy (for both sexes) to enjoy. Boman Irani and Kirron Kher are good, but the script doesn't accommodate them well. Bobby Deol has what amounts to an extended cameo. Unfortunately he sleepwalks through the part. John makes an effort to act, but still isn't up to par. The last hour of the film gets bogged down in sappy melodrama, with an uncalled for scene of cruelty towards a child. Still worth catching on DVD or television.

Overall 6/10

Welcome once again to the larger than life world of Hindi cinema. A song provides a scorcher of a start to the movie with this female celebrity who is highly popular in the UK (read Big Brother) dancing, 'bouncing' and lifting the curtains to this world called Dostana. Here we have a smashing foreign locale in Miami where chicks roam around in bikinis as if it is their second skin and guys with chiselled bodies and offbeat professions get up in bed only to find themselves with some unknown damsel. It's a world where a sizzling girl in her mid 20s who despite doing well in her career is looking for tenants to share her house and earn some extra income. (With the current economic recession its not a bad idea!) Enter the wannabe tenants - our two heroes who look like they have buried the 'reel' animosity of the past (read Dhoom)! What next? Yes here is the alleged twist as these guys fake their sexual orientation because the Indian values in our 'Desi Girl' will not allow two straight hunks in her Miami condo. Let us pretend at this point we don't know who Chuck & Larry are/were! What works for this movie and what doesn't?

Okay it is the first of its kind attempt by an Indian film-maker to touch upon and even base the main plot on this 'homo-sexual' angle, a subject hidden in the closet. The platform is well established with Abhishek and John being at an almost natural ease while playing their characters! These guys are the primary thing working for the movie as they infuse in every scene a sense of wackiness making you snort with laughter (or LOL). Their centre of attraction Priyanka looks absolutely gorgeous in each and every frame of the movie. The treatment of the movie is just right and the sole objective is to provide the audience with insane entertainment. Enters Abhishek's mom played by Kirron Kher, a mother horrified by the knowledge that her 'puttar' has become andha and cannot distinuguish between a boy and a girl! Yes the laughs grow louder and louder. Insanity rules! Catchy and melodious music plays along keeping you grooved. Its all fun and games and then its interval!

Post interval time and like a ship caught in a storm this movie gets lost and takes the wrong direction. The script goes awry. Our heroes have grown weak in the knees for our heroine and the brewing love triangle turns into a triple threat match with the entry of this third gentlemen. Now, instead of letting the movie continue on the path of insane entertainment, it heads into the world of clichéd misunderstanding and sappiness. The plot becomes so contrived and the humour nearly dries out. The actors do their best to keep the fun alive and succeed only marginally. Besides the awry script the character development also falters with a talented actor like Boman Irani ill-utilized. The zing is gone and the executioner is the story writer.

The two heroes Abhishek and John do a sparkling job with their hilariously unusual and offbeat role. Priyanka Chopra is meant to look pretty and she does a perfectly stunning job at that. It is no doubt that after 'Dostana' and 'Fashion' she is ready to conquer the queen's crown in Hindi cinema. The costume and dresses are perfect and in sync with the theme of the movie. The music is groovy and one of the plus points of the movie. The cinematography though good is a little patchy owing to cost cutting measures by creating the Miami house in Bombay with skyscraper wallpapers on the windows!

Although only produced and not directed by Karan Johar, it bears in each frame the stamp of his brand of cinema with many references to his past works. And seeing his track record you expected something more. But yeh more nahi milega! Overall Dostana is not a bad effort, in fact the movie is a fun, onetime watch but nothing beyond candy floss entertainment. The opportunity to turn it into a mega extravaganza has been lost.

Karan Johar comes up with another film that is very identified with his own style of film-making, Dostana. He combines comedy, drama and emotions in one film, though in this case there's more balance, though it leans more on the comedy. The film, in contrast to Johar's previous films where all starts as a great comedy but ends up in a tearful melodrama, remains a comedy almost from start to end, though different clichés from time to time are inevitable and easy to predict. This is not a bad thing, that's Johar's style and it has clearly worked for him in previous attempts, but while I found myself laughing from time to time, I was also quite annoyed by some of the cheesy proceedings.

The direction is pretty good, not that anything great is required there to begin with. The cinematography is well done, the locations are fantastic. The westernised music matches the light mood of the film. The film is stylish and modern, but it certainly doesn't have the refreshing quality of films like Salaam Namaste and Hum Tum. The various jokes in the film do manage do work though some of them are unoriginal and we are already familiar with them thanks to our film experience. It's still fun, maybe because it's new for a Hindi film, and maybe because the jokes work and it's amusing to see the leading actors in such situations.

Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham get equal footage, and they are okay. John does not lose any chance to take his shirt off and get cocky, which really gets on one's nerves. Abhishek performs better and he's more effective in comic sequences. Hottie Priyanka Chopra plays their friend and a struggling career woman. She's not a great actress, but she's competent in a role which is not very demanding but pivotal. Kirron Kher utterly steals the show with her brief appearance. Her loud and hysterical mother is just hilarious, and her transformation from a desperate mother to someone who learns to accept her son's "identity" is brilliant. The fact that we know the truth only makes it funnier. I can't see another actress doing this part as well.

All in all, Dostana is a decent one. It is filled with the usual clichés and the moments of old platitude one can expect from a movie of this sort; it is predictable, it is stereotypical and not very original, but having said that, it is entertaining and fairly enjoyable. Try this Bollywood entertainment, preferably with your family or friends, which may elevate your level of enjoyment of it.

Dostana scores a number of firsts. One being set entirely in Miami, with the glorious shots of golden beaches and opportunities for the cast to show off their toned bodies (for the first few minutes, John Abraham seemed too eager to get rid of his singlet every few minutes). And the other first scored was that this is the first Bollywood film to have a focus on a gay relationship, albeit a faked one, between its two leading men. For an industry that's still sans on-screen sex, where kisses still bring upon rage, and nudity a no-no, is it any wonder why this premise, together with its A-list stars, will draw in the crowds without a doubt?

Some 4 years ago, Abhishek Bachchan was busy chasing John Abraham as hero and villain in the action-adventure Dhoom. In between they only shared credits in Kabhi alvida Naa Kehna, and it is not until now that the two alpha-males get put together in the same film, share plenty of screen time together, and the joke's clearly on their effeminate behaviour and gay relationship. Imagine two muscular jocks having to turn girly at a wink of an eye, and that itself sets up a tsunami of laughs in plenty of situational gags that will leave you genuinely in stitches.

I shudder to imagine how real gays would, or would not take offense at the portrayal here, given that most of the time, gayness is equated with being hip and in with modern culture, which I think some would clearly dispute. Nonetheless it is the attempts at debunking the myths and prejudice that surrounds the condition that warrants some merits at least, even though it's still an outright comedy, and I guess all could be forgiven since there are two eye-candy male leads to serve up some compensation.

At first one would imagine a plot that would be similar to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, given two obviously straight men having to pose as a gay couple to further their own objectives, which of course runs contrary to any romantic notions they have for the opposite sex. Here, Sameer (Bachchan) and Kunal (Abraham) start off as two strangers in Miami who bump into each other after their individual one night stands (with opposite members of the sex of course), but thereafter find themselves eyeing the same piece of affordable swanky rental apartment, which comes with a crucial string attached - no guys, because the occupant is a lady (Chopra) whose aunt refuses to let tongues wag should her housemates be two hunks.

So you know the drill, faced with time constraints and the prospect of staying with Neha the hot chick, both guys pretend they are gays, thus setting in motion plenty of comedy as they have to maintain their cover 24x7, and to make matters worse, have to cement their relationship legally as a means to keep Kunal from being deported. And if that's not all, each of them still harbours the thought of hooking up with Neha, which of course poses a challenge given their known "status". One of the best scenes in the movie involves almost everyone, from mothers to bosses to even an immigration officer who converge in their apartment in a free for all, where bluff goes against bluff, and the two chaps have to be at their best to satisfy the law, as well as to stave off a very interested magazine editor. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard and loud.

But of course things slow down a little in the second half of the film when Neha's new boss (Bobby Deol) comes into the picture to woo Neha, which Sameer and Kunal try to fend off with their wits in what would be co-opetition at its very best. Scheming and conniving all the way, you'd come to expect lies becoming bigger lies, with questionable methods being put into use in order to drive the new competition away. Which brings it quite nicely to an ending that I guess is a fair outcome.

Dostana speaks of friendship, and sometimes, relations are best left at that given the numerous enjoyable moments everyone shares, without complicating matters. Dostana, despite its theme, still plays out to be an enjoyable, entertaining movie brought to life by its excellent casting. Songs and dances were pretty much standard fare, save for that convergent scene which I mentioned was the highlight of the film. Do look out too for the very cheeky wordings on the T-shirts that both Bachchan and Abraham don.

OK – the "Kanta Ben" episode forms the basic premise of Dostana but hey, just like in Kal Ho Na Ho some good interesting tracks were expected as well.

Apartment? Instead of harping on a unbelievable reason, a better convincing reason should have been thought for pretending gay.

The trio did an amazing job, so lets not go that area.

Bobby Deol was a big downer and his look seemed he was just out of Chamku. In fact the entire track seemed a poor rehash of "6 din - Ladki In" episode of Kal Ho Na Ho.

Kiron Kher was just OK.

Shilpa Shetty in the opening number was an eye-candy.

Sulabha Arya a.k.a Kaanta Ben – very good... very good. Sushmita Mukherjee – very bad... very bad.

Songs are #1 and without doubt Vishal-Shekhar rule the roost.

And yes, the costumes deserve a special mention.

The visuals are stunning – it is visitmiami.com beckoning.